It’s fall.

Two weeks ago soaking in the beautiful weather I would’ve denied the existence of fall.

But it came and it came quickly. In  a matter of three days the kids went from shorts and flip flops to jeans and coats. But there’s a small part of me that loves the change. I love the leaves on the tree that slowly change colors and effortlessly drop to the ground. I love that I have a husband that diligently rakes pile after pile of leaves, when we don’t have a tree in a yard! 🙂

Steve was taking Hallie to school this morning and he came running back in the house just moments later. “Where’s your ice scraper?” Really. It’s been months since I’ve seen that thing. I think the last time I saw that was one afternoon cleaning out the car it was being used as a weapon by our youngest!

So we kindly waved goodbye to our beautiful summer and even more beautiful fall. We were spoiled this year. We really were. And yet, this fall was just a little more special than the previous falls we’ve experienced here.  I feel as though fall was sending us a little going away party!

You see, our time in Wisconsin has come to an end. We decided a couple months ago, between our neighborhood and Hallie’s school situation, we needed to make sure major decisions for some serious changes whatever that may be. We were more than blessed and at just the right time an opportunity outside Wisconsin came up.

So, Steve has officially left his job with Kohls and starts a new position this Monday in Arizona. We are moving from one extreme (frigid winters) to the another (deathly summers) and we are awfully excited about it. This last winter was especially hard on me for some reason and I’m happy to say, it was our last. As much time as I spent in snow growing up and here in Wisconsin, I’ve yet to get used to it. I am naturally a cold person, and winter just rubs it in my face!

And as hard as the winters are, Wisconsin is home to us and our family and it is proving harder to say goodbye to than I originally thought. I know change is good and beneficial. But change is also hard.

We will miss: (of course not a comprehensive list!)
• Our family, Bob and Virginia and their family. We are here because of them and are so grateful we’ve become so close. We would definitely choose them as friends as well as family!
• Friends – We’ve had many friends move on us and it was hard every time. But we sure have some good friends we will be leaving on this move. We have spent many holidays, weekends, date nights, birthdays and overnight trips with these friends. They are family. 
• The beautiful fall colors and crispness that comes with it
• Being so close to Chicago has been amazing
• This is the only home Hallie and Hunter know. That is always hard to leave behind, but reassuring that home is where ever your family is.
• Such green beauty all around, trees, grass, shrubs, flowers everywhere
• Old city charm – it’s in the neighborhoods, it’s in the city
• Living away from most family has made us rely on each other and re-imagine our family traditions
• Summer boating trips with the Tysons
• Leaving all of Hallie’s playmates, all of them little girls and they’re the best of friends
• Picking apples from the local apple orchard
• Kohls is an amazing company and have provided great training for Steve
• Our home – we have transformed it into something I absolutely love. It’s hard to leave that and start over.
• Spending the afternoon at Foxbrook Beach with our BBQ
• Thursday night dinner and Survivor with Bob and Virginia

And for every thing we will miss, there are also some things we are happy to leave behind:
• Morning snow shovelings, day after day
• Scraping ice off your windows
• Our one car garage – not ideal with two cars in the winter
• The large amounts of rain – there is a reason it’s so green and no one has a sprinkler!
• The uneasy/unsafe feeling I get at night running to Walgreens
• The long distance it takes to see most of our family
• Salt stains on most of our jeans
• The sirens we hear too often outside our window
• Standing in front of one of our heaters for 80% of the chilly season or using the blow dryer
• Explaining to Hallie what a cousin is…she refers to most of her friends as cousins
• The humidity, there are times it can get brutal

Steve has lived in Arizona before so we know it too has it’s pitfalls, and the grass is not exactly greener. But we are confident this is what we need to do, and that our small family unit will benefit from it greatly. Warmer weather is more than welcomed, and more family to surround us will be fun.

So here’s to a new adventure with many changes and a little stress (I will be staying behind with the kids for awhile to sell the house while Steve moves on to start his job.)

Thank you again Wisconsin for the beautiful fall. I will never forget it.